View Full Version : Gorgonian Advice...
Hey Folks
I have just bought a nice red gorgonian from my LFS. I have brought it home, acclimatised for about 1hour, and placed in the tank.
1st Q - Where in the tank is it recommended the Gorg should be placed??
2nd Q - How long do they usually take the open up??
3rd Q - How fast do they grow under certain conditions??
TIA
Ben
What type is it photo or non photo????????
Hold on, let me upload them :)
Heres what it looks like now.
http://i212.photobucket.com/albums/cc275/Benjyyy7/14122007273.jpg
http://i212.photobucket.com/albums/cc275/Benjyyy7/14122007274.jpg
And heres what it looked like in the shop.....
http://www.smbaykeeper.org/images/site_images/brown_gorgonian_closeup.jpg
Like that, only red instead of brown :)
Thats looks like a Diodogorgia nodulifera a non photosynthetic species which will require good indirect flow and feeding - zooplankton mainly - this is where you may have problems with the feeding and keeping the water quality up to stratch.
I notice a sun coral next to the coral - how long have you had that for? how are you feeding that?
When you feed the sun coral you can target feed the gorgonian - I suspect other people on here will also elaborate further on what you would need to do to have a chance of keeping this gorg species alive.
Some people I have read on here and other forums have kept these for a short while - it is definitely a challenge.
the picture on the link is probably a photosynthetic species and it is these I tend to look for as I know they do better in aquariums (touch wood). They also feed on phyto and zooplankton when I feed the tank.
jon
see how it goes - let me know if you would like a frag of my sea plume I would be happy to send one to you.
J
Oh for gods sake. Yet another coral which is a "challenge". I've just got over the fact that my Goniopora is one of the hardest corals to keep, and now this. :mad: :mad: :mad:
And yes it definitely is a Diodogorgia nodulifera
;)
Oh for gods sake. Yet another coral which is a "challenge". I've just got over the fact that my Goniopora is one of the hardest corals to keep, and now this. :mad: :mad: :mad:
if they are both from the same store and both sold without prior warning then you need to do two things.
1. change your lfs
:annoyed:
2. buy a good coral id book to help you with purchases.
:thumbsup:
A book would be better :)
Any suggestions??
Aquarium Corals by eric borneman is a very good place to start.
i stand by my (friendly) lfs comment however as i would not trust any lfs that sold a goni without some questions asked or advise given.
Thanks. I'll add it to my xmas list ;)
Well, I think I should take them back, but Dad doesn't want to....
Anybody fancy a nice Diodogorgia nodulifera in their tank??
Lol
pm shultz or keith man or jacksock they are the only 3 i can think of who have the system setup for this sort of stuff.
and get a new lfs !!! poor show imo
Thanks Wills I will.
And I think its time I did.
ChrisBFish
15-12-07, 15:45
If Borneman's book is a bit pricey - excellent book, and well worth the money, though - there's also Shimek's Pocket Expert Guide to Marine Invertebrates. Covers snails, crabs, shrimps, worms etc as well as corals, so not nearly as detailed, but a very useful reference. A good LFS should have reference books available IMO so you can check a coral's requirements before purchase. If they're not happy to help you find out what it needs, then don't give them your money!
What happened to the advice on the goni thread about 'ask your LFS to hold the coral for you until you find out more about it'......
I would say that Eric Borneman's book is the one to go for. I tend to use that so often and I have found that the advice in there is good to be able to pick up some really nice corals - Euphyllia, Fungia, Pavona etc
I would personally take the corals back to the LFS and exchange them for other corals which would be more suitable. I doubt LFS will hold corals for long - maybe 2 to 3 days - Though it wouldnt be a recommended route considering the possible set up changes to systems for handling heavy feeding - Bigger skimmers, other equipment which would help etc
If not you could see if Keith man, Shultz and others mentioned would be able to take the gorg off your hands.
J
The Gorg is actually opening up nicely, looks nice now. :)
And Aquadorge, I know :( I never learn and I'm such a ****** for it. My LFS hardly ever get stuff like this in, and somebody before me was looking very kindly upon it. Ben liked it, and said he'd do whatever it takes to keep it alive. He has worked miracles on the Sun Coral, and thats looking healthier.....
We'll have to see how it goes, but if things go bad, I'll PM the members mentioned, and see what they say. :)
before you plan to keep it have a look at this very nice but quite small tank and the work he has to do to keep them, its not as simple as throwing in some phyto {no doubt what the lfs will have said}
http://www.ultimatereef.net/forums/showthread.php?p=1801444#post1801444
Ouch!! Thats a lot of equipment for such a small tank :(
IME although it still requires daily target feeding this gorg is one of the easier non-photos. It's not easy, because none of them are, but it can be sustained for a much longer time than some others. I have had two - the first I kept for around a year plus and it showed some growth, albeit very slow with a couple of mishaps along the way where I partially crushed it when reaquascaping. The injured part died, but I fragged the bits that survived and both parts restablished themselves very well.
When I first got it the polyps were very small, by the time I sold the setup on when the polyps were out you couldn't see the red stem.
The second succumbed to metal contamination within the tank along with a couple of other corals I think.
It can be fed on brineshrimp/mysis/frozen cyclopeze which are a lot bigger and meatier than phyto.
However, it does require self-discipline to target feed every day and if you're not going to do it then better off giving it to someone who can.
That said - they are a spectacular coral - indeed one of my favourites.
John
I don't think I can keep that up. :(
Theres an awful lot of polyps...and with my SC, I'll have to spend even more time feeding, and I spend a while as it is.
Anybody want to come and collect it then??
I paid £18 from my LFS, so probably let it go for that??
Don't want to post, I hate sending Live things by post, not safe IMO.
dendro982RC
05-01-08, 02:46
If you can feed tank few to several times a day, it should be OK. Skimmer and good filtration will help with water quality, otherwise it will be a lot of water changes ;)
Place it in a good flow (up to slightly bend polyps), I have mine in ~250 gph in 6g tank (950 l/hr in 22 l tank, Nano-cube).
Food: even Cyclop-eeze is OK (up to 800 micron), 600 or smaller will be better. Any zooplankton of this size should work too. As a half-measure, the fine particles, left from washing frozen food, will work too - only pollute water more.
You have a lot of mouthes to feed! :rolleyes:
It should open, when senses food in water, and be open, as long as there is hope to be fed.
Good luck!
Well its is doing perfect atm. Weekly, maybe more depending on Tests results, water changes and up to twice daily feeding of Cyclopeeze and Marine Snow are helping it loads. It has every polyp open even now, when no food has been put in the water for it :thumbsup:
So quite pleased actually :)
If you can feed tank few to several times a day, it should be OK. Skimmer and good filtration will help with water quality, otherwise it will be a lot of water changes ;)
Place it in a good flow (up to slightly bend polyps), I have mine in ~250 gph in 6g tank (950 l/hr in 22 l tank, Nano-cube).
Food: even Cyclop-eeze is OK (up to 800 micron), 600 or smaller will be better. Any zooplankton of this size should work too. As a half-measure, the fine particles, left from washing frozen food, will work too - only pollute water more.
You have a lot of mouthes to feed! :rolleyes:
It should open, when senses food in water, and be open, as long as there is hope to be fed.
Good luck!
stick around mate....you sound like you know your stuff!
refreshingly nice to read!
:thanks:
dendro982RC
05-01-08, 13:56
Hi, Wayne!
I'm dendro982 at ReefCentral and Photobucket, Reefyone at TheReefTank, and non-photosynt at Nano-Reef, OddFish at reefs.org, dendro982RC at Danny's forum (nl).
Mostly nano-tanks, low tech, common sense. Working not too long, chili - since February 2006, diodogorgia and Christmas tree worms - since Aug 2006. Main interest - scleronephthya.
Have a lot of how-to questions, hoping to get some answers.
Pardon my non-English English ;)
i thought i recognised the name off central!
ask away mate as there's a fair bit of knowledge here!
Ye you do sound like a good guy. Do stick around ;)
Thanks for info :D
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